Surviving Blizzcon! : Getting Ready

So, the first round of tickets has come and gone, and some were lucky enough to get tickets to the grand old event. With the con rapidly approaching, it’s time to get things set to make the most out of the convention.

Clothing

First thing I want to talk about is the area the convention is taking place in. Anaheim California. Anaheim is a wonderful city, lots of fun things do to there and lots of great sites to see. The biggest concern is going to be the weather of the season. August is a hot time in CA. The average temperature in August is about 86Ã‚ÂºF / 30Ã‚ÂºC. It’s also Ã‚Â a pretty dry time, not a lot of rain. You’re going to want to make sure you pack some lighter clothing. Trust me, nothing says bad like showing up and standing in line to get in while being overheated!

On the topic of clothing, bring some really comfy shoes. I can’t stress this enough. There are a lot of lines, and a lot of the panels become standing room only. There is a decent chance you’ll spend the better part of the day on your feet. A couple of my guildies made that mistake last year, and there were a lot of sore feet and one of my guildies received an ongoing back issue as a result.

If you are planning to attend in costume, you may want to consider when you want to show up in said costume. Last year a few people came to opening ceremony dressed to the nines. The vast majority showed up in normal clothing, went back to the hotel before any good panels opened (usually about an hour after opening ceremony) and came back in garb. This seemed to be the preferred method for the majority of the people I ran into.

Accesories

This is for all the technophiles out there. Blizzard has a list of items that they deem acceptable or not acceptable to bring into the convention. This list is updated yearly and you can find it among the FAQs for blizzcon. You can bring video cameras and phones as well as backpacks into the convention, but there are a few exceptions. You cannot video tape any game play footage or the closing concert on Saturday. iPods, iPhones and MP3 players are premitted but are not allowed to be hooked up to any test machines. Seriously don’t try it. I saw someone get their iPhone taken away last year trying to hook it up to a Diablo 3 test machine. Laptops / computers are NOT allowed. Don’t bring them they will not let you in if you try to bring one in. Bring them if you want but make sure you leave them in your hotel room. If you are coming in costume, do not try to bring any sort of weapon with your costuming, it’s not allowed. Essentially don’t bring anything that may potentially hurt someone else.

I will say it’s a good idea to bring something capable of entertaining yourself with. Nintendo DS, Sony PSP and iPhone or iPods are good ideas. I found myself last year in line thanking the fact I had my guildies around me to talk to while waiting. If you’re not going to have that luxury I suggest bringing something.

Food

Anaheim has a wonderful selection of eateries very close to the convention center. Downtown Disney is also a stones throw away and offers restaurants like House of Blues. My suggestion would be to explore these places rather then buying convention food. Food at the con is good, but it is also very expensive and the lines are pretty long. Last year we waited in line for a sub for close to 45 minutes. In that same amount of time I could have walked to a Subway restaurant, eaten and stopped for an energy drink. I suggest checking sites like Yelp or Urban Spoon. If you have an iPhone there is an app for each. There’s so many places to list that I wont make suggestions on where to go, but I will suggest that in the mornings if you’re looking to do breakfast before the convention, to plan carefully. The places around the convention center filled up really fast last year, and this year with even more tickets being sold, I can only begin to imagine how this year will shape up.

This category should also cover post convention gatherings. Lets face it, you’re going to be amped up and not ready to go to sleep right after the convention, you’re probably going to want to find a place to honker down and meet-up with guildiesÃ‚Â or just have a beer. There are several places that will be able to fill that role as meeting place. Again, I refer to Yelp or Urban Spoon or the Internet in general to help find places. Keep your eyes peeled here at World of Matticus, rumor has it we’ll be finding a place to group up with any of your readers who will be in attendance.

Attacking the Convention

Now that you’ve got yourself prepared with trinkets and clothing and a list of places to eat and drink, it’s time to start thinking about what you’re going to do at the convention itself. First on most peoples list are the panels. There are three main intellectual properties that Blizzcon centers around. Lets see what each has this year.

Diablo3

Heroes and Monsters – This is a look into the design process of the monstersÃ‚Â and heroes of the game.

Lore – Fairly self explanatory here. You get the story so far, and some new bits of the story to come.

Art – Basically this is the entire process of creating the look of sanctuary.

Starcraft 2

Gameplay – The devs take you on a journey through making and tuning of the game mechanics. This is a great panel to visit if you’re planning on going into game design.

Class Discussion – This is a great panel, it will explain how each class has evolved over time and how things are balanced and tweaked as time goes on. They reveal their big plans for classes here and how they view things as they stand now. This is a must I feel this year simply because Ghostcrawler has been saying that he wants to change the face of healing. If that announcement comes from anywhere, it’s going to come here!

PVP – If you’re big into battleground and arenas, this is your place of happiness. Last year they revealed the two new arenas and how they planed to balance things like ratings and match ups.

Art – A wonderful discussion of all that goes into making the World of Warcraft so visually stunning. There is lots of talk about how far we’ve come since the days of painted on armor. Artists on hand will tell you how they conceptualize different things from the landscape down to the tiniest critter running around.

Dungeons & Raids – This is the one I’m sure the vast majority of you are waiting for. Last year was the announcement of the Hard Mode encounter. Sarth 3D to be exact. There was much oooo and awwwww ing at this panel and for good reason. The devs explained the balancing of the instances from 40 man encounters of old moving forward to the 10’s and 25’s we have today. They explained last year how variable raid size would work. Needless to say there was little disappointment. This year comes at a time where Ulduar has dropped, by the time the convention comes around we’ll likely be ready for another update and I have a sneaking suspicion we’ll hear a bit about icecrown and then goal beyond. This is a must go to for the inquisitive raider. (pretty sure Matt and I will be fighting for seats on this one)

UI & Mods – This is a discussion about the evolving UI and mods that we’ve all come to learn and love for WoW. Last year centered around the creation of the Achievement window and the Rune pane for Death Knights. This year I think things will be a bit more exciting, and this panel may potentially run longer then it did last year. With all the changes to the Mod policy and the changes blizzard has informed us of (item rack built in for example) I’m sure this will be much more lively then it was last year.

Blizard Entertainment

Cinematics – Get to know the people who wrote the stories and created the movies we’ve grown to embrace over the years. (as a side note, all the cinematics play on a loop throughout the convention. It’s kinda awesome!)

Sound & Music – Interested in audio engineering? How about just composing vast symphonies? This is the panel for you. Learn how the scores and sounds were created and how it helped to shape the games. This will span all three properties. I liked this one a lot last year, hearing how they created things like the Lament of the Highborne and other very moving pieces in the game, gives you a different appreciation. After this panel I turned the game music back on.

DVD\Video Production – Much like cinematics you’ll get to see how the videos were created in and out of game. Here though you’ll also get insight into the editing process and how much work truly goes into making a final cut. I’ve heard some of the machinima makers found this useful last year.

That’s it for this installment of Preparing for Blizzcon. Check back often for updates as information is released. In the meantime I charge you with a task. Let us know what you want to know.

Have questions you want the WoM crew to ask at Blizzcon? Have any questions you need answered for getting ready to attend? let us know!

86 degrees? I’d be amazed if it were that cool in Anaheim in August. Expect 95+ if not over a hundred. It just hit 95 just last weekend up where I live, and I’m considerably further north.

Also important to keep in mind is the temperature inside the convention hall. Last year, I only brought a light jacket because I figured “it’s Anaheim, it’s hot” and the air conditioning was on full blast once I got inside. I don’t think I’ve ever been so cold when it’s so hot outside. I kept having to go outside to warm up, and then back inside — and I’m sure that wasn’t good for my immune system. I kept wishing I’d at least brought a thicker coat with me.

@Kiryn Was just using the national average as per the weather sites =D but you do raise a good point about the AC. I didn’t really notice it because I’m from the land of ice and snow, but if I was comfy that AC did have to be on full blast.

There will be a meetup for bloggers/podcasters/blog readers/etc.. on Friday night starting at 9pm at the Tangerine @ the Anabella hotel. It’s being thrown by Twisted Nether and Blog Azeroth. Should be a pretty fun time!

National average? Not the average temperature in southern California? You can’t underestimate the summer heat. I’m from the land of sunshine over here and I thought it was pretty warm outside last year — and that was October! I feel sorry for anyone trying to wear any kind of substantial costume this year.

I’m dreading the heat this year, but the fact that it’s in August also means that my fiance will be able to come with me — last year’s Blizzcon, he was in the middle of midterms =/ So it’s a mixed blessing, I guess.

As a veteran of Comic Con and other gatherings of the geeky sort, I strongly – STRONGLY – suggest bringing FeBreeze. I’m not even joking. The time-honored tradition and stereotype of unwashed, smelly nerds is alive and well, and the weather in Anaheim will only encourage it. Bring FeBreeze, or Oust – they make the small, travel-sized bottles – and don’t be afraid to spritz the air around you while in line. People will scoff, mock you, even be offended, but that isn’t your problem. Their stench is your problem. And who knows? Maybe it’ll inspire a few of them to take a damn shower back at the hotel.

(And of course, it goes without saying to make sure you yourself don’t stank, either.)

@kiryn well.. I went to weather.com / yahoo.com/weather and a few other places and checked the average temp recorded for that are. But I too feel for anyone in substantial costume. Especially those wearing body paint.

DO NOT stand in line for the food at the convention hall. First off, it’ll take you 30 minutes to get through, and it’s faster to walk over to Disney or something. Secondly, the food at the convention center is absolutely atrocious. It was some of the worst food I’ve had since I was in elementary school eating tuna macaroni casserole. And the best part? 20 bucks for this horrible burger and greasy, cold fries. And no coca-cola, only pepsi.

Save your sanity. Don’t eat at the convention center. Your life may depend on it.

I’ll second Kiryn’s comment.. LA is incredibly warm in May. It’s even more so in August, when the rest of California gets crazy heat waves as well. Figure it’ll be around 100 degrees mid-day or so – you can always add a jacket.
I wish I could go, but alas, I’ll be there in spirit and stalking the blogs for updates!

Ugh, Axe is terrible. I will never understand men (or women) who think that smells good. Old Spice might be okay if you don’t mind reminding people to call their dad, but I would say that if you really want to smell awesome AND lure in a few ladies/mens, go order something from the Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab. Because if a girl walks up to you and asks, “Is that Herbert West you’re wearing?” you should MARRY HER. >:o

this will be my 3rd Blizzcon. First one was in August, and I didn’t bother to bring a hoddie. bad mistake. Bring a hoddie! or something! the convention halls are a chilly temp to help keep us and all those lovely computers at a nice temp. And yes, bring a nice small backpack, dont forget to read the rules, they are limiting the size of the packs. I couldn’t tell if they are restricting beverages again this year, two years it ago it wasn’t but last year no beverages from outside allowed. not even bottled water! ugh.

Pfft. I’ll take dry heat over the humidity of the south ANY day! I live on the southern coast of Louisiana, and lemme tell you guys, hot + dampy, sticky, suffocating humidity is not a good combination. 😛

With that said.. I’ll be going to meet up with guildies, but I’m still unsure if I’ll be going to the actual con itself. It doesn’t quite interest me as much as putting faces to pixels.

Epic

About me

My name is Matticus and this is my World of Warcraft blog. Here you can read about my thoughts regarding healing as a priest. As a former guild master, I also write about guild and raid related topics. The blog has expanded to include thoughts from other regular contributors. The aim of this blog is to help you grow and improve. My unending goal is to have something relevant and useful in every post. or more, you can check out my columns on Blizzard Watch. Visit theGuildmasters to talk shop with other GMs, raid leaders, and officers. My current guild is on Kel'Thuzad US.